I started working with a new skincare brand recently to help expand their digital reach. Since they’re a new brand, a lot of my efforts have focused on growing their lists and expanding their digital footprint.

If you’ve read my blog before or plan to start reading it now you’ll notice the term “omnichannel” appear frequently when discussing marketing. The term “digital ecosystem” is another one that makes a frequent appearance. These two terms are related and important when it comes to digital success.

What’s a digital ecosystem

A digital ecosystem is your complete digital presence. Think about all of the ways a user can digitally find information about your brand/organization. Social media? A website? An app? Content shared with other platforms. What about reviews? Digital ads? The list can go on and on.

My guess is if you’re reading this blog, you probably have a few digital properties/experiences. Together, these digital properties form your digital ecosystem.

So what’s an omnichannel strategy?

An omnichannel strategy is a strategy that unites the user’s experiences and integrates them all across platforms and mediums. Here’s a post from Shopify that explains the omnichannel approach. SearchCIO expands on this strategy and breaks down the differences between multichannel and omnichannel here. They say:

“Omnichannel pushes past the operational tactics of multichannel into a business model that weaves those channels together and shares data between them, enabling customers to conduct business with companies however they want, whenever they want.”

This quote’s an important takeaway, especially as we think about the potential of an omnichannel strategy even outside of retail. Marketo says, “…Simply put, omnichannel is multichannel done right!”

How does this apply to me?

An omnichannel strategy’s a powerful strategy that can help shift the mindset of an organization to focus on the consumer/audience member/user. It’s important for many reasons, but especially as today’s users expect so much more digitally from brands/organizations.

Hubspot highlighted 7 brands that have a great omnichannel strategy. Their list includes, Disney, Virgin Atlantic, REI, Starbucks, and a few others who have made an omnichannel investment. In other words, an investment in their users.

So, how does this all relate to the skincare brand I mentioned at the start of this post? They’re shifting their strategy as they look to grow and gain digital success. A big part of this is the ability to measure success and to find ways to be efficient.

For example, as we stuff their sales funnel we need to look at how all of their digital efforts interact and work together. It starts with the ad and the fact that it should tell audiences why. Then the landing page that should make the offer selection seamless and flow easily into the checkout process. The role of their social media accounts in supporting and enhancing their efforts. This means capitalizing on what each platform does best. And don’t forget the physical presence. The pop-up shops, trade shows, and other events that need to work hand in hand with the digital experience to provide real value to the audience.